Belt conveyor pulleys are generally made from or at least their running surfaces are faced with metal. Most belt conveyors which are used in the mineral processing industry operate in harsh environmental conditions and are subject to corrosion and abrasive wear. Corrosion of conveyor pulleys is a particularly serious problem in the fertilizer industry where the conveyors transport highly oxidic and acidic chemicals. Yet further problems with conventional metal conveyor pulleys is that in some applications they become magnetised and/or charged with static electricity to a point where sparking may result which could be extremely dangerous in certain environments such as in mines.